Congressman Tom Graves Voted For Marco Rubio

Congressman Tom Graves (R-GA-14) sent out a campaign newsletter voicing his support and vote for Marco Rubio in the Republican Presidential Preference Primary. Graves joins his colleagues Congressmen Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA-03) and Austin Scott (R-GA-08) in supporting Rubio’s bid for president in the great state of Georgia and the #SECPrimary. You can read Congressman Graves’ letter of support below the fold:

From Congressman Graves’ campaign email:

Dear friends,

I’m sending a personal note today about who I voted for in the Georgia Republican presidential primary.

If you’ve seen me in Georgia recently, you’ll recall that I planned to keep my vote private. I thought doing so might help unite the Party once this divided primary ended. In recent days, however, the election has taken some concerning turns, and I’ve decided that it could be more helpful to share my thoughts with you ahead of tomorrow’s Georgia primary, especially if you haven’t voted yet.

I decided to vote for Senator Marco Rubio.

Of all the candidates, I feel I know Marco the best. We were both named Legislative Entrepreneur of the Year by FreedomWorks back in 2008 when he was Speaker of the Florida House and I was a member of the Georgia House. We were both underdogs in the 2010 elections and won. We’ve worked together in Congress on serious issues and even played a game of flag football from time to time.

Marco would be a great president. He knows himself and his faith. He has a proven conservative record, from his consistent support for a strong military to his pro-life advocacy to passing a key provision that did real damage to Obamacare. He leans into tough issues regardless of the personal or political consequences, and he communicates in a way that would grow the Republican Party and unite our country.

I have a lot of respect for Senator Ted Cruz, Dr. Ben Carson and Governor John Kasich. They are all good men who bring different positive attributes to the Republican Party. I hope to see them remain active in leading the conservative cause for many years to come.

When it comes to Donald Trump, I don’t feel like I really know the man or what he truly believes on various issues. Unfortunately, given the developments this weekend, it turns out that my hesitations were well founded.

I have trouble seeing how he lines up with the great tradition of Lincoln and Reagan, and I’m concerned that many of his statements run afoul of the Constitution, my values and my beliefs. Then there’s a simpler test: would I be comfortable if my three children acted like Trump? Certainly not.

If you’re a Trump supporter in Georgia’s 14th District, I can relate to your frustration and your deep desire to end business as usual in American politics and government. I respect that and agree with you. But it might be worthwhile to consider some of the same questions that I have had about Trump.

With all the noise and emotion that surrounds any election, it’s easy to get distracted and caught up in the moment. But this decision is more than a moment, it’s our history that has yet to be written. As the scribes of our time, the pen is in our hands.

Thank you for taking the time to read my views, and I invite you to reply with your thoughts on the election. I also encourage everyone to cast a vote in tomorrow’s primary and participate in the process. We are incredibly blessed to have free and fair elections, and to live in the greatest country in history.